The Mysterious Sorceress
by classicdoctorwhorocks
Summary: With the Doctor and Jo enjoying themselves in the TARDIS, the UNIT team are attacked by yet another hostile force. But what does Sergeant Benton have to do with this? And what does he have to do with the mysterious sorceress who slips through the walls between good and evil...


**With the Doctor and Jo travelling in the TARDIS, the UNIT team are forced to fight against an old acquaintance.**

The Brigadier, once again, found himself straightening his files as he waited for something to happen. He never would have thought he'd find himself _wanting _an alien invasion to start. Sometimes he wished he'd broken the family tradition and become, say, a postman. He quite liked dressing up as delivery people. Perhaps he could do something like that once the craziness was over for him.

He realized his head had flopped onto his arms. He hastily sat up as Sergeant Benton entered his office.

'Good morning, sir.'

'Morning, Sergeant. Are the Doctor and Miss Grant still out?'

''Fraid so, sir. Do you suppose they're alright?'

'Well, I suppose he has a right to enjoy himself. It's his week off, after all.'

'And he can come back any time he likes, right sir?' The Brigadier looked grim.

'Indeed, Benton. And that's exactly what I'm afraid of.' He stood up, and began to pace the room, Benton following his path uneasily with his eyes. 'While he's out getting poor Miss Grant and himself into mortal peril, we have to fight off an alien invasion on our own…'

'You don't know there'll be an invasion this week, sir,' The Sergeant said, a little hopefully.

'You don't know there _won't _be either, though. It seems to be happening once a week these days.'

'Yes sir. In fact, there's a rumour going around the men that it's all happening for somebody else's entertainment.'

'Is there really?' Benton was about to speak, when his walkie-talkie crackled urgently. He took it from his pocket.

'Hello Trap One. Any developments? Over.'

'There's a figure coming up the path. Should I stop them? Over.' The Brigadier snatched the device from Benton's fingers, to speak to the rather dim-witted sentry.

'This is an authorized personnel only zone, Corporal!' He snapped. 'Stop them at once!'

'Right sir. Excuse me madam, have you taken a wrong turn at the junction by any chance? I'm afraid you're going to have to-'The sound cut off suddenly. The Brigadier spoke sharply.

'Corporal Fraser, can you hear me? Look, I'm going to send help. Just sit tight if you can hear me. Over and out.' Both soldiers looked worried.

'I'll send Traps Two and Four to check it out, sir.'

'Right you are. I'll alert troops to watch out for an unauthorized person, presumably female.'

'Right.' Both men went their separate ways, neither daring to say what both of them knew, that the sentry was most possibly dead.

~DW~

'Electrocution,' said Doctor Sullivan to the Brigadier. 'His neck was also snapped completely in half.'

'A woman did this?' Benton said, amazed.

'I don't think so.'

'Oh. Well, I don't like the feel of it, sir.'

'I don't follow you, Sergeant.' The Brigadier cursed Benton's way of explaining things. It could be damn embarrassing sometimes, especially when the nonsensical way of talking usually seemed to make more sense to others than it did to him.

'Well, the whole affair seems very fishy. It feels as if something's just waiting to happen. A sort of dark presence, looming over us like a shadow, constantly watching us, waiting to spring.' There was a moment's silence.

'…Benton?'

'Yes sir.'

'You know, for a self-proclaimed optimist, you can be bloody depressing sometimes.'

'Very good, sir,' said the man, attempting valiantly to keep a straight face. He turned, not knowing that there _was _a presence watching silently.

Except its eyes were only on him.

~DW~

Captain Mike Yates was getting ready for his night out. Every Wednesday he would have his special evening out to the pub, in the hope that he'd be able to drop into some sort of regularity with a nice girl. Tonight Sergeant Benton… _John _was joining him. He shook his head. He'd only been in UNIT a couple of months, and already he was referring to even his closest acquaintances by rank. Then again, he'd only met John a month ago. That hadn't exactly been a good time for making friends. There'd been an invasion on, after all. Then again, wasn't there always?

His thoughts were interrupted as Benton entered, scattering the brooms which had been leaning against the door.

'Think you're going to catch one tonight, Mike?' He said cheerfully.

'For God's sake, we're not going fishing.'

'We might as well be, for all the luck we're going to get.'

'There you go again,' Mike rebuked. 'What have I said about positive reinforcement?'

'I only heard the bit about honesty.' The friends grinned at each other.

'What're you doing here, anyway?'

'Looking for you, actually. About that nasty business with poor Corporal Fraser.'

'Shame. I feel sorry for the Brigadier.'

'Why's that?'

'He has to tell Fraser's kids.' Both of them winced at the thought of the well-known Fraser children, all of which had a close relationship with their father.

'Oh, dear. Well, see you tonight.' Yates shut the door behind him, while Benton continued to pick up the various things which had fallen over upon his arrival, whistling to try and brighten the thoroughly dampened mood.

However the whistling, which could usually brighten up the direst of situations, echoed sinisterly around the small room. Benton began to regret his talk about 'looming shadows'. He remembered his mum saying that, 'bad things only happen if you anticipate them,' which wasn't particularly comforting when you were convinced something absolutely terrible was about to leap on them any second… getting closer and closer…

Stop. He forced himself to stop thinking, and propped up the brooms on the opposite wall. Before he could turn back round, he became aware of a presence behind him.

'Oh God, no,' Benton muttered. He slowly turned to see a woman whose face was half-hidden by her hood. The very way she held herself spoke power.

'I order you to come with me,' she said in an oddly familiar voice. 'In the name of Sorcery!'


End file.
